The Magus by John Fowles follows an entitled, selfish English graduate as he escapes his failed ambitions and relationships to a Greek island. There he meets Maurice Conchis, a billionaire intellectual who may be (but probably isn’t) connected to a supernatural force. The novel, set just after the Second World War, explores post-war masculine anxiety, … Continue reading Life at the Grindstone: the small significance of grinding
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is, by many accounts, a feminist text. But what does that mean? Many would argue it means that it features a “strong female character.” But what does that mean? Buffy is certainly strong physically: she kicks ass (everyone knows that). But the fact that its heroine kicks ass — is that … Continue reading The Stake Is Not The Power: Patriarchal Power Systems in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Arkham City
“Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” These lines are from Twelfth Night, one of Shakespeare’s comedies, which features a subplot where a narcissistic Puritan servant is fooled by a fake letter from his mistress that confesses her deep love for him. Oddly, … Continue reading “Be not afraid of greatness.” An Analysis of the Third Season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
[Originally posted on PopMatters] Games are about agency. They also blur the line between character experience and audience experience. The audience is the main character in a game, and the events of the story impact the audience directly. All that holds immense narrative potential, of course. In a game, then, the hero’s victory is the … Continue reading Forced Failure and the Undignified Hero
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